TESL 150 - Unit 3 Principled materials

Context:

You are teaching night classes in an adult education ESL centre. There are 14 students (CLB 2) in your class and most of them are factory workers. They are studying a unit on workplace safety and health. You have the Workplace Safety and Health in Basic Language resource available. I chose module 2 - Basic vocabulary for health and safety.

The principles for materials development I have chosen to focus on in the activity:

• Materials should be authentic in terms of text and task (Nunan as cited in Tomlinson, pg 98)

I chose this principle because the learners are adults attempting to learn English as an additional language in part as a means of better understanding their colleagues and safety regulations in their particular field.  Authentic texts and tasks can help these learners more quickly understand signs and vocabulary that directly relates to their careers while also allowing them to see how other aspects of the ESL course directly relates to their lives.  Finally, I think it is important for all learners, of all ages and backgrounds, to work with materials that inspire interest and recognition for the learners and this is true for this class as well.

• Materials should stimulate interaction (Nunan as cited in Tomlinson, pg 98)

I chose this principle because learners in this course are attempting to learn English in part to learn about safety and hazards in their workplaces.  A prominent aspect of workplace safety is recognizing hazards, speaking out about these hazards, and warning others when they are in danger of being injured as a result of an incident.  As a result, the education that is provided to the learners in this course must inspire them to interact with others and gain and maintain the confidence necessary to speak English with their coworkers.  Through the use of this material and the recommended changes I have made, the class will support learners in their process of learning to express themselves, particularly in relation to hazards and incidents in the workplace.

• Materials should encourage learners to apply their developing skills to the world beyond the classroom (Nunan as cited in Tomlinson, pg 98)

As I have stated earlier, the purpose of this class and this section of the class is to help learners understand English as an additional language with particular emphasis upon English as it is used in workplace safety.  Through using materials and subjects that are important to the learners at a personal level, as well as a subject that directly impacts their health and safety in the workplace, learners are better able to take the vocabulary and skills that they are learning in the classroom out into the real world.  Through applying their developing skills in the real world, learners gain confidence in the language as well as the ability to more effectively communicate with colleagues, friends, and others in Canadian society.

Changes to the resources you are suggesting and the reasons behind them:

The materials and resources provided for this class are immensely useful and strongly support many of the principle I have laid out as important for teaching this class.  However, there are a few changes I would make to the material to strengthen it in authenticity, stimulation of interactions, and usage outside of the classroom. First, I would add activities in groups or pairs to allow discussion and conversation. Learners can practice using the new words in conversations and not just in role play situations. More conversations and discussions with other learners helps stimulate the interactions that are a principle I believe is important in learning. I would also have the learners converse about possible causes of injury and hazards they believe might be present in different environments (work and non work places). This change also supports interactions with others and allows for authentic materials the provide a connection to the world beyond the classroom. Finally, I would have learners write about and discuss their prior knowledge of workplace injuries or hazards. Using writing and speaking materials that allow for learners to discuss their prior knowledge of workplace injuries and hazards as well as listening to stories of incidents yet again provides for authentic materials that in some cases may directly relate to the world beyond the classroom.  

Learner involvement in the materials adaptation

Yes, I would involve learners in the process of adapting the materials for the class because it is important to have resources that meet the learners needs (50-51). For example, if most of the learners plan on working in construction and/or renovation, it would be important to go over all of the different hazards and injuries in different domains, but with an increased focus on the ones that meet the learners needs the most. In this example, I would focus on signs and hazards that are more present in the workplace of construction crews rather than focusing on hazards that are less common, like those that are present only in factory work. Overall, I think this would create more a more authentic material for the learners and would increase the likelihood that they would use their developing knowledge in the world outside the classroom.

References:

Tomlinson, B. (Ed.). (2014). Developing materials for language teaching. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Academic.

Workplace Health and Safety in Basic Language (n.d) Retrieved from https://www.safemanitoba.com/Page%20Related%20Documents/uploads/1764wshdsafetybooklet9.pdf